g
almost the same.

Zola's _Nana_ prostituted herself regularly with rich men: secondly,
she was the mistress of Fontan, who plays the part of a high-class
protector; thirdly, she fell in love with Georges in quite an idyllic
fashion. Bordenave, the manager, had good reason in wishing his
theater to be called a brothel, as he was more of a pimp than a
theatrical manager. This example, a little far-fetched, shows how
ideas pass from one to another in this elastic domain.

There are also married mistresses. The position of mistress to a
married man is, on the whole, more delicate than that of mistress to a
bachelor. We are only concerned here with paid mistresses. They seldom
give themselves to married men except when the home life of the latter
is more or less disorganized; when the husband is separated from the
wife, or when he lives in open warfare with her. A married man, on the
contrary, may secretly visit brothels or private prostitutes, often
even with his wife's knowledge, because the prostitute can have no
influence in family affairs. This reason has even been used for the
defense of prostitution. It is true that married men often have
connection with other women, and the term mistress has been applied to
the women who take part in this intercourse, whether they or their
lover, or both of them, are already married. But in this case money is
usually only a secondary consideration, when the households concerned
are not broken up. It is often only the maneuver of an intriguer who
tries to separate a husband from his wife to marry him herself and
monopolize his fortune. It is sufficient to show how difficult it
often is to distinguish the paid mistress from the woman who does not
give herself from interest but from passion, or from the intriguing
adventuress who tries to make a good catch.

Lorettes, grisettes and paid mistresses seldom have children. These
women are more rarely infected with venereal diseases than
prostitutes, but they are better acquainted with the methods of
preventing conception.

The fate of the children of venal concubines is generally very sad.
They are not the fruits of love but of a sexual union based on
idleness and lewdness. If conception occurs in spite of all
precautions, artificial abortion is attempted, or if this fails the
child is sent to the "baby farmer," who gets rid of it. The women who
dispose of their children in this way are often of the better class;
common prostitutes